CHAPTER V. 



HINTS IN MARKETING. 



SECRETS OF SUCCESS EXPOSED. 



" Doing the right thing at the right time." 



HE all-important secret might be told in a few 

 words : " Cater to the demands of the market." 

 Produce just such articles as the market calls for, 

 and offer them for sale at just such times as 

 people want to buy. The more favorable the 

 combination of circumstances of your own 

 selection — market, locality, soil, and methods — 

 the brighter are the chances of success. Start 

 in modestly to fill a want already existing. Try to have your 

 vegetables in the market a few days, or even a few hours 

 sooner than your competitor. Take to market only the 

 choicest, and keep the poorer stuff out of your customer's sight, 

 thus making a reputation for yourself and your wares, and your 

 success will be at once assured and permanent. Study the pecu- 

 liarities of your market, and try to hit the periodically appearing 

 demands for certain articles. The best at the right time brings 

 the profits. 



It is hardly ever advisable to attempt educating people's 

 tastes. Give your customers exactly what they want ; and only 

 after having gained a firm footing among them, or gained a 

 reputation for yourself, would it be wise to begin, cautiously, the 

 work of creating a demand for better things by exposing them 

 in tempting display to people's attention. There is a rule of 

 fashion in markets as well as in attire. When a certain kind of 

 vegetable or fruit is popular in a certain market, it will sell 

 quicker and at higher prices than even a better kind with which 

 people are not acquainted. The process of educating people's 

 taste is always an exceedingly slow one; and the gardener 

 should not make the mistake of growing any thing new and 

 superior, but as yet unknown to customers, in the vain hope of 

 gaining an advantage over his competitors, unless the superiority 

 lies in outside attractiveness — large size, fine color, perfect shape, 

 etc. — and thus appeals to the sight. High quality alone, without 

 " catchy " appearance, is at a discount in the open markets. 



Uniformity is one of the chief essentials in making produce 

 attractive and salable. Particular pains should be taken to have 

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